Letter to the Editor: Let’s Bring the Generations Together

To the Editor:

We have a rare opportunity to make Shoreline both a good place to grow up and grow older by adding dedicated senior programming space within a new multi-generational community center.

I have been working with senior centers for the past 18 years and I see this as the next evolutionary step in their development. This approach is considered best practice because it offers the following benefits:

• Makes it easier to coordinate and avoid duplication between parks and the senior center
• Senior center staff would bring aging expertise and also be able to tap the considerable expertise that Sound Generations provides
• Ability to leverage other government funding, for example the Veterans Seniors and Human Services Levy
• By 2025 20% of the population in Shoreline will be 65+, so having dedicated space is essential
• Ability to tap numerous partnerships that the senior center and Sound Generations brings to the table, for example Bastyr naturopathic clinic, connection to underserved communities, Meals on Wheels, Power of One, to name a few.
• Experience working with volunteers and a strengths based view of older adults
• Opportunity to do cross generational programming

I don’t see a long term future for the senior center at the current facility. It is only a matter of time when the school district will decide to either redevelop the property or sell it. Land and construction costs will only get more expensive, so the council needs to let the citizens of Shoreline decide if fully serving 1/5 of the community is worth the additional long term investment of dedicated space at the proposed community center.

Joanne Donohue, Chief Operating Officer
Sound Generations